


all summer long

by koalavirtue



Series: what tomorrow brings [5]
Category: Figure Skating RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:22:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalavirtue/pseuds/koalavirtue
Summary: If you were to ask Morgan to name the things he loves the most in this world he’d say his family, Maggie, Tessa and hockey. Oh and the beach. He loves the beach.
Relationships: Morgan Rielly/Tessa Virtue
Series: what tomorrow brings [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679134
Comments: 9
Kudos: 81





	all summer long

The light streams in through the open window casting sunlight onto Tessa’s sleeping figure that’s bundled up under the covers. She’s flat out on her stomach, taking up most of the space, her arms and legs splayed everywhere as Morgan lays beside her. He watches her take slow, even breathes as he runs his fingers through the soft strands of her hair, careful not to wake her. He’s been up for about an hour after promising Casey and his wife, Megan, that he would look after Poppy when they left to collect groceries this morning.

Just then he hears small footsteps outside the door and small voice calling out, “Mom.” which he recognises as Poppy’s. He doesn’t have much experience with children but he knows it’s probably not a good idea to let her wander the house alone so he gives Tessa a quick kiss and slips out of bed in search for the little girl.

Morgan walks down the hall right as Poppy comes shuffling around the corner, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He doesn’t notice her until her small body bumps into his legs softly, startling both of them a little. Morgan offers her a smile in reassurance. “Good morning Poppy.”

“Hi.” Poppy responds in her pink, flowery pajamas, her voice still scratchy from waking up. She peers behind his legs still searching for someone then finally looks up at him. “Do you know where my mom is?”

“She went out for some groceries with your dad. It’s just me and your Aunt Tess here right now.”

“Is she awake?”

“No, she’s still sleeping but can wake her if you want?” he suggests.

Poppy shakes her head. “No. That’s ok. She gets kinda grouchy in the morning when we wake her up too early.”

They stand in the hallway for a second, Morgan still slightly unsure of what he’s supposed to do. He’s been around kids before, mainly his friend's newborns, but he’s never actually been the one in charge and he’s definitely never looked after a girlfriends niece. He knows how much Tessa loves Poppy and vice versa so he wants to make a good impression. “Are you hungry?” he asks finally.

Poppy nods still looking up at him, her head at a slightly awkward angle. Morgan crouches down to her height realising that his significantly larger body might be a little intimidating for her. “I’m not the best at cooking but I bet we can find something in the cupboards. What do you say we go have a look?”

She agrees quickly and the two of them head down the stairs in search of breakfast.

It’s the soothing sound of waves and birds chirping outside that finally wake Tessa from her sleep. It’s way past sunrise when she finally clambers out of bed and gets ready for the day ahead. Being at the cottage means lots of laying on the beach and relaxing but her brother Kevin is arriving today with his family and she’s excited to spend some time with her new niece. She hasn’t been able to see her much what with being on tour then being in Vancouver during quarantine so she’s looking forward to the next few days.

When Tessa finally emerges from her room, she realises it’s oddly quiet, usually she’s the last up and the cottage is already buzzing with conversation and people cooking breakfast. She lets out a great big yawn, walking down the stairs and as she walks into the living room she is greeted with the cutest sight she’s ever seen. Morgan and Poppy are both sitting cross-legged on the couch, cartoons playing on the TV with a bowl of cereal each. Their obvious size difference makes Tessa smile, his huge form bunched up next to Poppy’s tiny body as they sit engrossed in the show.

Poppy has a tray on her lap which seems to be doing it’s highly necessary job of preventing spillages onto her clothes, the amount of stray cereal that’s managed to escape her bowl landing on the tray instead of her pajamas.

Tessa doesn’t want to interrupt and instead watches from the doorway out of sight as they take spoonfuls of food every so often while Poppy explains the plot of the show and Morgan just nods along as if her niece is giving wise life advice and not talking about zoo animals that have superpowers.

She’s about to make her presence know when Poppy turns to Morgan all of a sudden and says, “Are you and Aunt Tess getting married?”

“Why do you ask that?” Morgan asks, he knows Poppy is curious about a lot of things but she’s never asked about his relationship with Tessa. She took his appearance at the cottage as if he was a regular visitor as opposed to them only having met once at Christmas when he went over to Casey’s for dinner.

“I’m not really supposed to.” she admits nonchalantly, staring at the TV.

“Why not?”

“Well, cause my friend’s mom was gonna get married and I heard my mom say that everyone is getting married this summer, so I asked Aunt Jo if she was getting married and she just laughed.” Poppy pauses her rambling to take a big spoonful which results in some more spilling out onto the tray and stuffs the spoon back in her mouth. “She said she has to find a boyfriend first and I asked her if Aunt Tess was getting married cause she has a boyfriend now,” she turns to look at Morgan. “which is you and then my mom said I’m not supposed to ask people that so you can’t tell her.”

Morgan blinks a few times and stirs his own spoon, his brain still processing her long-winded explanation. Poppy seems unconcerned with his lack of response and turns her attention back to the cartoons on the screen. “I won’t tell anyone. But can I tell _you_ something?”

“Um…is it a secret?” Poppy asks, her voice taking on a worried tone as if spilling a secret is the worst thing you could do (which to a six-year old it likely is).

“Nope.”

“Promise?”

Morgan carefully holds his bowl in his own hand and holds out his pinky, “Pinky promise.” he tells her, taking this as seriously as she does. She loops her tiny finger around Morgan’s much larger one and they shake on it.

Tessa’s heart swoons.

“Ok, you can tell me now.” Poppy nods, digging back into her cereal.

“If me and you Aunt Tess get married, I’m sure you’d play a super important role. Maybe you’d get to hold the rings or be in charge of the flowers.”

“Really?"

“Yep, you might even get a slice of cake out of it.” he says, bumping her shoulder.

“Cool.” She nods, satisfied with the promise of a hypothetical wedding cake. “But I’ll only come and help if it’s chocolate.”

Morgan laughs, big and loud which makes Tessa smile from her hiding place in the hallway. “I think your Aunt Tess would say the same thing.”

* * *

If you were to ask Morgan to name the things he loves the most in this world he’d say his family, Maggie, Tessa and hockey. Oh and the beach. He loves the beach. The sun, being able to relax with the incredible lake view and the freedom it gives him, the ability to run around in the sand like a kid with no worries. Also, the beach means he gets to see his girlfriend in her purple polka dot bikini which looks incredible.

He heads down the shoreline to where some of the Virtue family are: Kevin and his wife are sat on beach chairs, Kate bouncing their new baby in her arms while Casey opens a few beer bottles and passes them around and Morgan knows that Jordan is back at the cottage with Megan.

He looks just beyond them, a few meters away, to see Poppy digging in the sand with her shovel and spade alongside Tessa who is carefully scooping up sand to fortify the very impressive sandcastle that’s currently under construction. It’s all very domestic and Morgan is truly glad that he gets to be a part of it.

“Morgan!” Poppy shouts, sand flying everywhere as she waves at him. “Do you want to build a sandcastle with us?”

Tessa looks up at him with a pleading look on her face. “Please help. Miss Poppy here has very high expectations and my specialty is ice, not sand.”

“And what makes you think I’ll fare any better?” he asks.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to help, you’re very creative.” Tessa smirks at him with absolutely zero subtlety. He feels his cheeks turn red as they stare directly at each other, remembering that same compliment she gave him last night before he fucked in the shower. He’s just thankful that the rest of her family are too far away to hear her, and see his reaction.

“Will you?” Poppy asks oblivious of the sexual tension, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He clears his throat and looks away from Tessa to Poppy. “Sure. What can I do?”

She tells him about her plans to build the biggest sandcastle ever while he helps Tessa secure the base allowing them to add height to it without the sand toppling over. He fills up the bucket and goes to pass it to Tessa but his foot hits the plastic spade lodged in the sand. He loses his balance, tripping forward and spilling the sand out onto her chest and outstretched arms.

He stands frozen waiting for Tessa’s reaction, it truly was an accident but he’s worried it might not seem like it to her. She looks up at him then bursts out laughing, her whole face lighting up, eyes crinkling at the edges, the sounds of her laughter like sunshine and rainbows, her whole body the epitomise of happiness and he can’t help but smile back.

“I’m so sorry, love.” he says eventually, dropping the bucket. He reaches over to help clean her up before realising that it’s probably not the best idea to stick his hand near her boobs in front of her niece.

“It’s ok.” Tessa says still grinning like an idiot, standing up and shaking most of the sand off her body. She has that look in her eye as if she’s up to something but Morgan figures if she was mad at him she wouldn’t be smiling. He goes to pick up the half-empty bucket and continue building when Tessa suddenly grabs a clump of sand and smooshes it into his hair, earning a round of giggles from Poppy who has been watching quietly.

“Tess! What the heck!” he sputters wildly. “You are unbelievable.”

“Actually, I think I’m sun-believable.” she chuckles at her dumb joke and backs away in anticipation for his response.

“Puns like that leave me with no choice Miss Virtue.” He leans over to Poppy and they mumble something to each other for a second. “Poppy what is my only option?” he asks.

“Tickle monster!” the young girl screams in excitement.

Tessa look horrified, she quickly spins around and takes off down the beach. “No. No. Morgan don’t you dare.” she warns sprinting across the sand in an effort to get away.

She might be quick but he’s so much faster and catches up to her in no time, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down to the warm sand along with him. His fingers run across her ribs eliciting more screams and laughter from Tessa as she tries to escape.

Just then Morgan hears a voice from down the beach.

“Under her arms!” Kevin shouts over, pointing to Tessa. Morgan smiles as he realises what her brother means and moves his fingers from her waist up to her arms and tickles her again while Poppy races over to them and joins in.

“Poppy, nooooo!” Tessa screeches, wriggling furiously and kicking up a bunch of sand. She twists and turns and finally manages to get out from under Morgan’s arm and jump to her feet gasping and taking deep breathes. She scoops up Poppy by her arms and dangles her in the air, acting as a shield. “I surrender.”

Her niece shakes her legs and giggles.

Morgan steps closer to the two of them. “Are you using the defenceless child as a negotiating tactic?”

“This _'_ _defenceless_ _child'—_ ” Tessa bounces Poppy up and down. “—is a traitor. I’m doing what I have to.”

“What do you think?” Morgan asks. “Should we let your Aunt Tess go free?”

It’s quite clear that Poppy has no idea what’s going on, she’s too busy having fun being in the air so she nods her head and stretches her arms out towards Morgan to be passed over. She’s not a baby anymore but being lifted up high still has its delights. Tessa takes that as an agreement and lets Morgan grab her niece so she can escape to safety where the rest of her family are sitting.

Morgan watches Tessa walk away, her hips swaying more than necessary and turns to the little girl in his arms who is poking aimlessly at his sandy beard. He gives her a gentle smile, which she eagerly returns, and tosses her up in the air getting more sweet giggles from her as they head back over to finish her sandcastle masterpiece.

“Whatcha’ doing?” Morgan sings a while later, dusting himself off and walking over to where Tessa’s lying on a sun lounger alone in the shade, after convincing Casey and Kate to take his place as lead sandcastle builder. Kevin and his wife are splashing in the water with their baby so Morgan takes the opportunity to go hang out with his girlfriend.

Tessa suppresses the urge to laugh at him slapping his face to get the sand that’s trapped in his beard off and glares at him from behind her sunglasses instead. “We’re not friends right now.”

Morgan pouts.

“I’m pretty sure I still have sand stuck in my bikini.” she says pointedly, pretending to still be mad at him.

He stands next to her, looking like a sad puppy, apologies falling from his lips. Tessa can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him, her own clumsiness sometimes getting her into unfortunate situations as well. She reaches up and grabs his hand dropping a gentle kiss on his wrist in understanding then pats the space on the lounger and shuffles forward so Morgan can fit behind her.

She rests her back against his solid chest and he wraps his arm around her front, thumb skimming along her piercing then plants a kiss on the juncture between her neck and shoulder.

“I love you.” he says softly.

She returns the sentiment, the words coming easily, as natural as sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening. She’s told countless people she loves them — her parents, her siblings, her friends — but it always feels special sharing the words with Morgan, the three syllables an affirmation of how deeply they care for each other.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” she admits. Her past relationships were never serious enough for her boyfriend to make strong connections with her family let alone spend time with them at the cottage. Tessa has known from the start that this was different, both due to Morgan himself and her learning to be more comfortable opening up and committing to something lasting.

He tucks his head into her neck and squeezes her towards him in response and although she can’t see it, she knows there’s a blush creeping onto his face.

“Poppy looks happy too. You guys seem to get along well.” she adds, Poppy isn’t usually the most reserved but with a new child in the family, a lot of the attention had shifted away from her to her baby cousin. And Tessa knows that while her oldest niece doesn’t really mind, she misses being able to play with everyone whenever she wanted so having a new friend in Morgan who likes to have as much fun as she does has been lovely to see.

“What can I tell you, we’re two peas from the same pod.” he jokes. “Pretty sure I’m her favourite.”

“You mean you’re the only one who’ll feed her sweets and get up to mischief.” Tessa retorts.

“Yep. That’s _why_ I’m her favourite.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically and turns her head to face him. “And who is _your_ favourite Virtue?”

Morgan shrugs. “I don’t know. Megan’s pretty cool.” he says with a smirk, he knows the answer Tessa is looking for and giving her the satisfaction of saying her name would be too simple. Also, he’s not technically lying, Casey’s wife _is_ great. She’s an avid hockey fan and Leafs supporter, after a few drinks she’s more passionate about their playoff chances than anyone he’s ever met, and she makes the best strawberry smoothies he’s ever tasted.

Tessa gives him a look of indignation and decides to take matters into her own hands, she spins around in his lap, adjusting herself so that her legs drape on either side of his waist and quickly looks back to make sure no one is watching them. “You sure about that?” she asks wrapping her arms around his neck and getting right in his personal space.

“Mmmhmm.”

She leans forward and Morgan expects her a kiss but instead, Tessa slowly brushes her lips against his and threads her fingers through his sandy (literally) blonde hair, pulling at the flow he’s been growing out. His hips jerk upwards and Tessa lets out a whimper at the contact.

He knows making out on the beach is a terrible idea but right now he doesn’t care and if the way his shorts tighten is any indication, his dick agrees.

He rests his hand on her waist and slips his finger under the tiny bikini she’s wearing to stroke his thumb along her hip. “Are you trying to seduce me into liking you?”

“That depends, it is working?” she asks, the view of his large hand on her tiny frame gets her hot and bothered, their size difference always giving her butterflies. She trails kisses along his neck, stopping underneath his jaw and grinds into him, hard and to prove a point.

His other hand traces up her spine and he nods fervently. “A little too well.”

Tessa moves her lips back to his and finally gives him the kiss he desperately wants, she sucks on his bottom lip and that’s enough to draw out a breathy moan from his lips. Fuck, she needs him. “Let’s go somewhere quieter.” she says pulling away and resting her forehead against his. “Please.”

“Does this mean we’re friends again?” he asks, batting his eyelashes and grinning to which Tessa just pokes him in the ribs and climbs off his lap, dragging him back to the cottage as quick as she can.

* * *

The cottage is quiet as Morgan wanders inside. He’s spent the past hour cleaning out the garage with Casey so that it can be reorganised as a favour to Kate who kept mentioning that she needed to get it done. Although it looks like it hasn’t been sorted out in years (and the handful of spiders he’s come across) he’s glad to be helping out, mainly because he wants to spend time with Tessa’s siblings but also because it gives him the chance to do that with someone who isn’t Jordan.

He likes Jordan, she’s supportive and caring and her affinity for teasing Tessa means that Morgan and her tend to get along quite well. But after their awkward run in yesterday when he and Tessa got back to the cottage, well…he definitely doesn’t want to be alone with her in a confined space right now.

He hears soft whispers as he heads towards the kitchen and rounds the corner to see Tessa leaning over the island to give Poppy a kiss on the cheek. The marble countertop is scattered with paper of all colours and sizes, pens and pencils and a pot of rainbow glitter to top it off. Morgan is greeted with warm smiles when they notice him enter the room.

“Hi.” Tessa grins, filling him up a glass of water at the tap. He makes his way over to her and wraps his arm around her waist, presses a quick kiss to her cheek the same way he watched her do with her niece in thanks and takes the glass from her.

Poppy hops off the stool she was sitting on and rounds the kitchen island to stand on the other side of Tessa as Morgan gulps his water. “Go on.” he hears Tessa whisper.

She nudges Poppy with her knee and the young girl shuffles forward. “Um…I made you a picture.” she says staring at the floor and producing a piece of paper from behind her back. She’s not typically nervous around him anymore so Morgan realises how important this must be to her and gives her a reassuring smile. “You did! I’d love to see it.”

He places the empty glass down and takes the paper carefully from her to see a pretty decent drawing of all the Virtue’s at the beach. He spots Kate and Jordan on sun loungers, Kevin and his family building sandcastles, Poppy with her parents eating ice cream and there right beside Tessa, on a paddle board, is him. _Oh_ , he’s in the picture too.

He’s not an overly emotional guy, pretty laid back in everyday life except for when it comes to hockey but even then prides himself on keeping a level head in difficult situations. Now though, standing here in the kitchen, he feels both sets of eyes watching him, waiting for his reaction and he suddenly feels overwhelmed by the emotions rising in his chest.

Morgan glances down to see Poppy is looking up at him with the sweetest eyes and the shyest smile. He bends down until he’s eye level with her, something he hasn’t done this since earlier in the week, the morning they ate breakfast together, but he wants to convey how special this moment is, how truly thankful he is to be included.

He settles the paper down carefully on the floor and reaches for her much smaller hands, taking them in his and giving them a soft squeeze. “Thank you so much Poppy. I really, really love it.” he says, voice sounding more chocked up than he than expected.

“You’re welcome.” she whispers.

Morgan picks up the drawing and smoothes it over, pointing to the cone-shaped figure in Poppy’s hand. “I think you did a great job with the ice cream. What flavour is it?”

“Chocolate!” she says, bouncing on her toes and grinning at him, her usual playfulness reappearing almost immediately at the thought of sweets. “Aunt Tess said it was the best flavour _and_ she helped me with some of the colors.”

“Yeah?” Morgan looks up at Tessa, who is busy wiping away a tear at the corner of her eye with the sleeve of her top. “Well, I think you both did amazing. Can I take it home to hang up on my fridge?” he asks.

“Yep.” she answers as he helps her climb back up on the stool to continue her other drawings. Morgan leaves her to it as she scribbles away, her tongue poking out in concentration, and goes over to the sink where Tessa is still standing quietly.

Her eyes are looking slightly red-rimmed and if she chews any harder on her lower lip she’ll probably taste blood soon. Morgan places his hand on her forearm and nods his head in the direction of the decking, silently asking her if she wants to go outside with him. They make sure Poppy is happy to be left alone for a bit before they step out into the sunshine and Morgan slides the door shut behind them.

He pulls her in for a hug and she immediately buries her head into his shoulder. They sway gently holding each other close as Morgan presses the occasional kiss into her hair. It’s only when Tessa finally lifts her head that he sees small teardrops gathered on her lower lashes, her eyes glistening. He presses a kiss to her forehead, his hand lifting up to cup her cheek and wipes the teardrops away softly with his thumb. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s just…” Tessa takes a shuddering breath. “She’s never done that for anyone before, made them a part of the family. I guess I never introduced her to anyone that would give her a reason to but seeing you both in there…this is more than I could have ever asked for; all the people I love, safe and happy, and being a family.” She peers up at him with a watery smile. “It was very cute.”

“Why, thank you.” he grins. “I aim to please.”

Tessa punches him weakly in the chest and goes to move her hand when he takes hold of it and presses it back to his chest, right above his heart. “Tess, you deserve all of that and so much more.” he says much more seriously, holding her hand in his with such care she feels like crying all over again. “If I get to give you back even a tiny amount of the love you give to everyone else then I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

He kisses her again, this time on the lips. It’s a deep heartfelt kiss, the kind where you get so caught up in the moment that nothing else matters and Tessa melts into his touch, every part of her feeling warm and filled with love.“If you’re trying to make me less emotional you’re not very good at it.” she smiles into his lips when they finally catch their breath.

“Yeah I think you’re right.” he says as he wipes away his own stray tears and gives her another kiss.

“Morgan!” Casey comes jogging up the pathway that leads to the cottage as they break apart with a final hug coming out of their bubble. “Mind giving me a hand with some of this stuff?” he asks, gesturing to the large cardboard box in his hands.

Morgan looks back at Tessa, not wanting to leave her and end their conversation prematurely if she still wants to talk. She already looks lighter, as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders and squeezes his hand. “Go help.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” She leans up on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. “I promise.”

They stand for a second before she takes him by the shoulders and playfully pushes him down the path. “Go lift heavy things so I can thirst over your arms through the window please.” she says, giving him a slap on the ass and sending him off in the direction Casey just went.

“You’re an idiot!” he shouts as he walks down the steps. Tessa blows a series of theatrical kisses back in response as she heads back inside. _God, he loves her._

It’s later that evening after dinner that Morgan finally has a chance to sit down, he’s been on his feet most of the day so he eagerly takes the opportunity to relax with the rest of the family. He’s sat beside Tessa on an outdoor swing, a glass of Chardonnay in her hand, while she watches a video of Poppy (who is currently sat in her lap) at ballet practice and he chats to Kevin about a mutual friend they have who lives in Vancouver.

Despite only being here for a week, Morgan has quickly grown to love the tranquil atmosphere and beautiful waterfront that surround the property and with the sun setting, he can’t help but admire the view. It’s a quiet, peaceful affair with everyone chatting amongst themselves, the sound of laughter bubbling up everyone once in a while from a corner of the porch.

Kevin gets up from the table to answer a phone call when Morgan feels someone tap his leg. “Can you open this for me please?” Poppy asks, handing him a popsicle, her treat for the evening while the adults opened a few bottles of wine.

“Sure thing.” He carefully undoes the wrapper and hands it back to her, not anticipating the thing that comes next.

“Thanks, Uncle Morgan.” Poppy says, jumping off Tessa’s lap to go put her litter in the bin.

“That’s new.” he whispers while the rest of the family pretend not to notice what happened but he can see the grin on Casey’s face and the soft gaze from Kate as she watches from beside Megan.

Tessa shuffles as close as she can towards him as he turns to look at her with a shocked expression on his face. “She asked me if she could call you that when you were helping make dinner. I told her it was fine.” she explains. “If it’s ok with you?”

Morgan can’t help the way the smile takes over his face and for the second time today, he feels a lump stuck in his throat coupled with this overwhelming feeling of love and acceptance. He’s never been an uncle before, he has no idea what the expectations and responsibilities but he knows he wants this. He wants to be part of Tessa’s family, to be her partner in every way, no matter the challenge. They love each other and the knowledge that her family feels the same way towards him is enough. He kisses the crown of her head and wraps his arms around her shoulder. “It’s ok with me, love.”

“Good, cause I like it too.” she says giving him a peck on the cheek as Poppy comes back outside, the popsicle already half-eaten in her hand. “I like it a whole lot.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this took so much longer than expected. Thank you to all the lovely anons who left messages and ideas, I hope it did them justice 🥰


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